91–100 of 350 posts
When I was 11-12 or so an orthodontist attempted to remove one of my last remaining baby tooth without my parents knowledge and without anesthetic so he could sell my parents on braces. After causing a bloody mess he gave up and the tooth remained in use for some time after. Absolute psychopath.
This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…
Same thing with if they have a fancy website - like a Squarespace site that looks like a Brooklyn restaurant and uber professional headshots.
This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…
I went to another dentist who basically said this was all bullshit. He said the whole concept of "pre-cavities" wasn't really a useful diagnostic category for treatment in the first place. That is, I went to the dentist every six months, and if they saw, for example, any thinning of the enamel, they would just watch it (because proper care can often prevent it from getting worse), and if it did develop into a cavity, they would fill it. But there was absolutely no need to pre-treat if a cavity wasn't there, and since I saw the dentist every six months they would catch anything before it became severe.
I'm so happy I've found a conservative but highly competent dentist. But it took a lot of looking. Dentists can essentially "create their own demand" if they need to, so I think one of the biggest risks in finding a dentist is that so many of them have a strong incentive to overtreat.
I think I was luckly that I did at one point go to a good dentist who told me things like teeth can naturally have dimples which are generally nothing to worry about - so I was suspicious when a later dentist told me I really had to worry about them. The initial good dentist did recommend a sand blasting and sealant of the groves in molars as a long term preventative procedure. As he explained it fluoride hardens teeth and changes the wear patters causing these issues where pockets of bacteria are hard to get to and can later cause cavities. He didn't sell it as some sort of necessity but as something that he thought was generally a good idea to do and his explanation did convince me. It was a simple, inexpensive and painless procedure which I believe was effective and I think should be a widespread default. I don't know who I'd trust to do the science on that though.
This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…
This is absolutely, absolutely great advice. A couple decades ago I went to a "dental spa", and they definitely over treated. They did this thing where they shined a laser at my teeth and said I had "pre-cavities", so I needed treatment (I think it was some sort of sealant). I went to another dentist who basically said this was all bullshit. He said the whole concept of "pre-cavities" wasn't really a useful diagnosti…
It was bad enough I didn't go to a dentist for another two years and when I did I got a recommendation from the department secretary. I'm still seeing that dentist although I don't actually see the dentist (as opposed to the hygienist) unless I've actually got a problem.
This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…
This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…